Dorson Annual Gala
Celebrating 30 years of impact.
Dorson Community Foundation Annual Gala
Celebrating 30 Years of Impact
Thursday, June 16, 2022
The Highlawn, 1 Crest Dr, West Orange, NJ
6:00PM | Cocktail Reception
7:00PM | Gala Dinner & Program
Join Us
Hear directly from our Executive Director, Natasha Scott, who is not just an alum of Dorson Community Foundation, but also the daughter of our Founder.
Held yearly, Dorson Community Foundation's Annual Gala celebrates the dedication and achievements of our Scholars, alumni, partners and organization.
After two years apart, we are thrilled to welcome our community back in person to celebrate Dorson's 30th Anniversary on Thursday, June 16th! For the past 30 years, we have changed the lives of over 2,000 students in Essex County, NJ. To celebrate this milestone, we invite you to join us for an evening of stories from Dorson Scholars past and present, award ceremony to honor leaders making monumental changes in our community, a silent auction and opportunities to pledge your support throughout the event.
If you are unable to attend in person, we welcome you to join us virtually by receiving on-demand video and highlights direct to your email after the gala or by making a tax-deductible donation. Registration has now closed for our virtual wine tasting on June 22nd, but we welcome you to support Dorson’s 30th Anniversary by making a tax-deductible donation here.
Proceeds from the Annual Gala will go directly to supporting the expansion and the future of our Dorson Scholars Program. We hope you’ll join us in investing in Dorson’s future for the next 30 years!
GALA EMCEE
DARRYL DWAYNE
COORDINATOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, NEWARK ART MUSEUM
Darryl Dwayne Walker is an artist (actor / tv correspondent), creative director, educator, and movement specialist. Originally hailing from Norfolk Virginia born to two parents who migrated from the deep south of Birmingham Alabama. Darryl is best known for his work as a performing artist and his corresponding work in front of the camera for the TV show "Montage." His career as a dancer and performing artist started while acquiring his BA of Fine Arts with a focus in fashion marketing. The opportunity to tour and book work as a dancer were opened and he would share the stage with international R&B recording artist such as Mario, Monica, T.R.U, Carl Thomas, Cheri Dennis and many more. Currently as a digital and mixed media artist, Darryl Dwayne is flexing his performing arts background and television personality skills at the same time. Working as The Coordinator Of Community Engagement at the Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) where he also acts as the Creative Director over yearly summer theater productions and works in partnership with the artist in residency program.
HONOREES
HONORING SONIA SCOTT
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sonia Scott, Founder of Dorson Community Foundation, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her commitment to investing in the next generation of leaders from underserved communities, and for her significant contributions to serving over 2,000 students in Essex County, NJ.
Sonia Y. Scott is a teacher, author and well-known personality in the health and wellness industry. A native of Jamaica, Mrs. Scott is a first-generation college graduate having received her Bachelors from Herbert H. Lehman College. Mrs. Scott founded Dorson Home Care, Inc., a licensed and accredited home health care agency headquartered in West Orange, NJ. She is also the founder of Dorson Vocational Training Institute. Mrs. Scott founded Dorson Community Foundation with a mission dedicated to providing inner-city youth in Essex with a meaningful alternative lifestyle to one involving drugs and gangs. She is a member of several organizations including the Caribbean Medical Mission, the Association for Female Executives, New Jersey Association of Business Owners (NJABO), and the Essex County Coalition for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (ECCPVA). She is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP). Mrs. Scott is a person who pushes boundaries by skillfully weaving her compelling life story into helping others build a life story.
HONORING TONY ALLEN
CHAMPION OF ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY AWARD
Anthony (Tony) Allen, Founding Director of Student Diplomacy Corps (SDC), will receive the Champion of Access and Opportunity Award for his commitment to providing life-changing opportunities for underserved youth through cross cultural experiences and for SDC's long-standing partnership with Dorson Community Foundation.
Tony Allen has worked for thirty years with non-profit organizations focused on field-based educational opportunities for under-served high school & college students. Tony attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH majoring in government and third world studies, and pursued graduate studies in public policy at the City University of New York. Tony and his wife, Reina, live in Montclair, New Jersey and have two children, Kai and Liam. He serves on the boards of The Northeast Earth Coalition, Crane Park Demonstration Garden and Kiwanis Club of Montclair.
Student Diplomacy Corps
SDC was created to bring summer enrichment opportunities to dynamic high school students absent from experiential and academic extracurricular programs. SDC combines college readiness programming with place-based international education projects. SDC’s pedagogy includes a formal nomination process where students are identified by teachers, administrators and mentors at schools and youth development organizations across the USA. Students complete a rigorous version of The Common Application and participate in formal interviews before being selected for summer study-away SDC projects. www.sdcorps.org
HONORING A'DORIAN MURRAY-THOMAS
CHAMPION OF ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY AWARD
A'Dorian Murray-Thomas, Founder and CEO of SHE Wins Inc., will receive the Champion of Access and Opportunity Award for her commitment to investing in the next generation of leaders and change agents from underserved communities by leading efforts to improve access and success for youth in Essex County, NJ.
A’Dorian Murray-Thomas is the Founder and CEO of SHE Wins Inc., a leadership and social action organization for middle and high school girls in Newark, New Jersey. Born and raised in the city of Newark, A’Dorian founded SHE Wins to create a pipeline of Newark college and career-ready young women leaders. At the age of 23, A'Dorian became the youngest person ever elected to the Newark school board and was also recognized as one of President Obama’s White House Champion of Change for College Opportunity, one of Glamour Magazine’s “College Women of the Year”, a Youth Service America’s “Everyday Young Hero”, named a New Jersey Hero by New Jersey Former First Lady Pat Christie, and one of “The Root” Magazine’s 25 Young Futurists for her work in education and youth development. A’Dorian and her SHE Wins scholars have been featured in ESSENCE Magazine’s ‘Black Girl Magic’ docuseries, ABC’s “Here and Now” talk show, The New Jersey Star Ledger, USA Today, Positive Community Magazine, and Fox Nightly News. A'Dorian chaired the Education Committee as a Board Member on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, where she helped allocate funds for more than $5 million dollars worth of service-learning grants across the U.S. and Canada until 2016.
A’Dorian previously served at the Newark Opportunity Youth Network, where she empowered over-aged and under-credited high school youth from Newark Public Schools to reconnect to educational options, as well as helped implement the district’s restorative-based intervention for students on long-term suspension. A’Dorian is a 2016 graduate of Swarthmore College and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Educational Studies.
SHE Wins, Inc.
SHE Wins Inc. offers a free leadership and social action organization for middle and high school girls in Newark. While inclusive all girls, SHE Wins primarily aims to serve girls affected by inner city violence. A trauma informed program, the SHE Wins model combines social and emotional learning with rigorous college and career readiness training so that girls who are most exposed to high risk factors are best positioned for secondary and post-secondary educational success. The program includes a summer and afterschool leadership academy where girls develop leadership, literacy and self-regulatory skills through mentorship, project-based learning and service-learning projects.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Invest in the future of our Dorson Scholars Program by supporting our Annual Gala!
For checks, please make payable to Dorson Community Foundation and mail to:
Dorson Community Foundation, 280 South Harrison Street, Suite 300, East Orange, NJ 07018
For questions or to participate in this year's Annual Gala, please contact Eloise Nicoll at eloise@dorsoncommunity.org
Can't attend? Please consider supporting our work by making a donation as an investment in the future of our Scholars here.
280 South Harrison Street, Suite 300
East Orange, New Jersey 07018
P (973) 280-9565
